Gaia Online Rules and Guidelines
In order to make your and everyone else's experience on Gaia Online a pleasant one, please follow these rules that outline what is acceptable behavior. We have designed these rules in order to minimize conflict and maximize your enjoyment of the site. Our Moderators have the authority to enforce such rules and act on behalf of your and Gaia's best interests. (see) Gaia Page: Rules Interacting with Other Users on Gaia: 1. Never Ask for Passwords, or Give Anyone Else Yours: Gaia staff members will never ask you for your password. Any attempt in asking for other people's password is strictly prohibited. 2. No Spamming Outside the Chatterbox Forum: Spam, or posts that are nonsensical or irrelevant to the forum in which they're posted, should only be posted in the Chatterbox forum. Users are encouraged to stay on topic and be relevant to the theme of where discussions are held. Being informative or entertaining are also good ways to get a good conversation going. 3. Be Courteous: Please be civil and courteous towards your fellow Gaians. We have a very liberal policy regarding language, but overly abusive language is not permitted. If your post is excessively vulgar, insulting, explicit, or hateful, it may be removed and disciplinary actions may be taken on your account(s). 4. No Trolling: Posting material that is inflammatory or intended solely to offend or provoke other members is called 'trolling', and is not permitted. 5. No Stalking: Persistent harassment of an individual or group of individuals against their wishes (commonly known as 'stalking') is not permitted. If someone asks you to stop, please leave them alone. 6. Respect the TOS: Encouraging or endorsing violations of our Terms of Service, or illicit activities in general, is not permitted. 7. Be Constructive: When commenting on artwork or reviewing web links, please try to be constructive in your criticism or balance criticism with praise. If your comments are excessively insulting or vulgar, action may be taken against your account. 8. No Cybering: Soliciting or engaging in cybersex (exchanging descriptions of sexual experiences) or mature content role play is not allowed on Gaia Online. Making sexually suggestive or explicit posts can result in them being removed, and action being taken against your account. 9. No Child Abuse: Discussion, depiction or promotion of child sexuality, abuse, exploitation and/or related topics that may be harmful to or threaten the security of a child or minor is not allowed. Submitting any content or utilizing language or terms meant to imply or insinuate these situations may result in action being taken against your account. 10. No Pirating: Requesting or sharing material you do not own the copyright to or have permission to share (such as music, software, and anime) is not permitted. 11. No Banking Services: User-run banking services, such as those providing interest, pawn shop, or other investment and loan services, are not permitted for security reasons. Any banking services found will be removed and may result in your account being banned. 12. If In Doubt, Ask: If you are submitting content to Gaia Online and you are unsure whether that content violates our Terms of Service or other rules and guidelines, it is best to check with a Gaia Moderator before submission. Images: 1. Signatures: Please keep signatures less than 500 pixels in size in both width and height, and a total byte-size of less than 100,000 Bytes. Your ability to post signatures may be removed if you do not comply with this standard. 2. Mature material: Any material that is sexually explicit or pornographic, or depicts excessive violence or gore is not permitted. Tasteful nudity in the art forums is allowed on a case-by-case basis, but on the whole, it is a good idea to cater to a range of audiences. Keep in mind that some members may be as young as 13. 3. Harmful Images: Certain types of graphic images may contribute to or otherwise cause viewers to experience an adverse physical reaction, such as migraine headaches or seizures, and are not permitted. Should your post or signature contain such an image, it may be removed. 4. Copyright Violation: Posting images that you do not have the rights to may be treated as copyright infringement or art theft if the owner of the image makes a complaint. Claiming art that you did not create yourself, either in the art arena or on the forums, as your own work will be treated as art theft, which can result in legal prosecution in real life. Attempting to use stolen art for profit is considered to be scamming. Additionally, art that you have made yourself, but that was heavily copied or traced from the work of others, or includes images or graphics you did not make yourself, may also be treated as art theft. Repercussions: Failure to follow the rules above may result in your account being banned from Gaia Online. In some cases, the ban will be temporary, with repeat offenders receiving a permanent ban, and some cases may result in a permanent ban immediately. The following offenses are also grounds for an immediate permanent ban: * Botting. Using an automated script, macro, or refreshing feature to post or surf web pages in order to generate Gold is forbidden. The use of any software or codes to generate Gold without the need for you being in front of your computer is generally considered to be botting. Anyone suspected of botting will have their account banned. * Scamming. We reward our users with Gold and hard-to-find rare items, but we have no tolerance for people who try to take other users' assets with get-rich-quick schemes or promises of rare items. Running any kind of scam - including but not limited to lottery scams or trade scams - is strictly prohibited. * Hacking. Hacking is defined as "unauthorized access to another user's account". This includes accessing an account that does not belong to you, or profiting from items taken from a hacked account. Attempts to hack, such as trying to obtain another user's password, will also lead to your account being banned. * Impersonating another user or Gaia Staff Member, including Administrators and Moderators. * Gold Buying/Selling. Buying or selling Gaia gold for real-life cash, whether on Gaia Online or on other sites, is strictly prohibited. Attempts to buy or sell Gaia Gold may also lead to your account being banned. * Offsite trading. Trading, or attempting to trade, Gaia Gold for non-Gaia related accounts or items (or vice versa) will result in an account ban. * Exploiting site glitches for personal gain. No site is perfect, and you will (rarely) run into a glitch while using Gaia Online. When you do, please report it by posting to our Bug Reports and Technical Support forum. However, intentionally exploiting obvious glitches in order to gain more items, Gold, or other benefits can result in your account being banned. :Please be aware that if your account is banned, you will no longer be able to access your Gaia Gold or items that you licensed from the site, or any Gaia Cash that you have purchased. :Failure to comply with these rules and guidelines may result in disciplinary action and ultimately the termination of your Gaia Online account. Your use of GAIA Online is also subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Terms of Service. Disclaimer & Copyrights: AniHQ, GAIA Interactive Inc, Studio XD, and all affiliated developers of GAIA Online will not be held responsible for (1) any content generated by GAIA Online users/members or (2) content that exists through any links posted on the GAIA Online website. AniHQ, GAIA Online and all images associated with GAIA Online are © Copyright 2003 - 2009 Gaia Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved.